


Clear the Area

by Polaris



Series: Blue Sky Blue [2]
Category: Guardians of the Galaxy (Movies)
Genre: Big Brother/Reluctant Stepdad Kraglin, Fluff and Smut, Multi, Nebula Has Issues, Vaginal Fingering, Vaginal Sex, Yondu ships it
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-08-13
Updated: 2017-08-13
Packaged: 2018-12-14 21:15:46
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 8,291
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11791632
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Polaris/pseuds/Polaris
Summary: Kraglin's still alive even if Yondu ain't, and while he might've left his heart out in space where Ego’s planet used to be, his libido’s still here. So when he wakes up again from vague dreams about sweaty blue skin and Nebula’s husky voice screaming for more, with come drying on the front of his underwear, he figures he's maybe reached a point where he's ready to do something about it.





	Clear the Area

Kraglin Obfonteri dreams in blue.

Sometimes it's Xandarian skies, memories from when he was just a kid, or the plasma bursts during a skirmish, or Yondu's scarred back, rough under his lips as he kissed his way down, down, down...

Lately it's been about Nebula.

Kraglin's still alive even if Yondu ain't, and while he might've left his heart out in space where Ego’s planet used to be, his libido’s still here. It's going on ten months since he lost his captain, and his balls are damn near as blue as Yondu's.

Nebula is more than amenable, he knows. Girl’s about as subtle as a fist to the face. She's been back to visit five times in the four months since she dragged him on that solo to Kree space, and her excuses keep getting thinner and thinner. Gamora's delighted every time she shows up, all scowls and still rocking the Ravager reds Kraglin gifted her before Yondu blew the _Eclector_ to hell.

He supposes he's not so subtle either, if the “dude!” he'd gotten from Peter after getting caught checking out her ass was any indication. Nebula had thrown a smirk over her shoulder at him and kept walking. Kraglin thinks she knows exactly what that outfit does to him.

So when he wakes up again from vague dreams about sweaty blue skin and Nebula’s husky voice screaming for more, with come drying on the front of his underwear, he figures he's maybe reached a point where he's ready to do something about it.

\---

_So yer finally gonna fuck her. ‘Bout time, darlin’. I don't want you gettin’ lonely, after all._

Kraglin grunts, rubbing the edge of scar tissue along the fin and digging into his breakfast. For a dead man, Yondu still has a lot of opinions about a lot of different things, Kraglin's sex life included. He yawns as Rocket and Mantis drift in, grabbing the food he'd left on the hot plate and sitting down.

“Good morning,” says Mantis as Rocket buries himself in his food. 

Kraglin nods to her. She reminds him of Pete, back when the kid was still cute. She's all bright eyes and questions about everything. And she's got serious case of hero worship for Nebula, which Nebula has no idea how to take. Kraglin thinks it's kinda sweet.

Rocket on the other hand don't talk to anyone before he's had his caffeine. It's better that way. Even Groot knows better than to mess with him first thing.

Speaking of which. “Where's the twig?” Kraglin asks, peering around. Groot's gotten big, barreling toward his teenage years fast enough that Kraglin is gleefully waiting to see how Peter likes being on the other side of things.

“Sleeping,” Mantis tells him. “His light was still on when I went to bed.”

“Weren't you on second shift last night?” Rocket asks, his furry head popping up with narrowed eyes. 

“Yes.”

“That little shit. I told him to be in bed by eleven.”

Kraglin snorts. “‘S cute you think that’ll work.”

“Oh yeah? What's it gonna take then, gramps?” Rocket crosses his arms.

“Ask Quill. He'll remember.” Kraglin smirks, remembering one of the screaming matches that resulted in Yondu bodily hauling the kid out of bed and onto his shift without so much as a trip to the toilet. Made him work the whole shift in the underwear he'd slept in while the crew had a good laugh.

Boy hadn't made that mistake twice.

He can hear Yondu's laughter echoing through his brain. Mantis gives him a long look.

“Why's your fin glowing?” Rocket asks him.

Kraglin shrugs. “It does that.” He reaches down to run a fond hand over the arrow.

\---

Problem is, now Kraglin's decided he's ready to make a move, Nebula’s nowhere to be found. It's been a few weeks since she last dropped in, and even though Kraglin keeps an ear out for her, she can still disappear. He knows she's been working as a bodyguard for some of the crime syndicates, but that's only short term work. She won't stick to one place. Those folks start thinking they own you if you don't put your foot down, and that girl's had enough of being owned.

Nebula will be back. He just don't know when.

_Won't be long, not the way she stares atcha. Apparently me an’ her got the same taste in ugly bastards._

Kraglin grins, gazing out at the stars. He's alone on the bridge, lazily watching the navs and making sure the Quadrant doesn't drift off course. Easy driving, the kind he could do with his eyes closed. It gives him plenty of time to daydream and shoot the shit with Yondu.

_How much o’ that girl d’ya figure is cybernetic?_

“Lookin’ forward t’ findin’ out,” Kraglin says quietly. He's been wondering. Both her arms, at the very least. A leg. Her lower jaw. And she once said something to him about Thanos ripping her brain from her skull. The thought makes his fist clench, just like the scar down Yondu's back always did.

She can still move, though. Kraglin sure enjoys the swing of her hips as she struts around, usually right in front of him. It's been fun, these last couple months. Like foreplay stretched out over time. Both of ‘em know where it's gonna end, but they're drawing it out until they're both good and ready for it. He's got no idea if Nebula’s ever even had sex before.

And dear god, the thought of being her first is doing things to him. He shifts in his chair, ignoring Yondu's snickering, and wonders if anyone's ever touched her the way he wants to. If it's her first time he'll have to go slow, show her how good it can be. If she's done it before, he'll just have to demonstrate how he can do it better. God knows he used to make Yondu howl. He's still got scars on his back from those ragged nails digging in.

Fuck. He needs to quit it or he's gonna get stuck up here with a boner he can't take care of. Kraglin sighs and slumps, palming his dick just to take the edge off before he makes himself think about gross things, like busting in on a teenage Peter rubbing one out on an empty M-ship. Bleh.

_Fuck you, Kraglin. Why'd you gotta bring that up?_

\---

When he finally sees her again, it ain't what he's expecting.

Pete’s got them into a party. He, Kraglin, Drax, and Mantis are casing the place and keeping an eye out while Gamora, Rocket, and Groot break into some kingpin’s office to steal back some files that could ruin a Xandarian trade deal.

Kraglin's the cleanest he's ever been in his life, dressed up in the clothes Gamora shoved at him with dire warnings to make sure Drax kept his shirt on. Since he wants to bone her sister and she can kill him with a pinky, Kraglin figures he can take orders from Gamora. 

He looks over to check. Drax is still wearing his shirt, although he bitched a blue streak about his nipples. 

Mantis looks mighty cute on her party dress as she pokes around at Drax’s side, subtly bumping into guards and brushing their hands. There's a signal they all agreed on if she notices anyone getting suspicious.

Kraglin, for his part, throws back a glass of liquor that costs more than every pair of boots he's ever owned combined. It goes down smooth, and he makes a note to remember the label so he can steal a bottle of it sometime. 

And that's when he sees Nebula.

She's in the back, keeping to the shadows and looking like she'd rather be anywhere else. That's the first thing Kraglin notices. Then his attention shifts to the slinky red number she's wearing, and the way it skims her curves like nobody's business. His mouth goes dry as she turns to stare at something, revealing the open back of the dress and what looks like miles of soft blue skin.

He follows her gaze eventually and sees her frowning at Peter, who's chatting with some bimbo while he keeps an eye on Mantis.

Kraglin gets another glass of the good stuff from the bartender and makes his way over to fend off an incident.

“Don't gotta worry ‘bout him,” he says, leaning against the wall next to her. “I've known him since he was just a kid an’ I can tell you he's nuts about your sister.”

Nebula barely turns her head to acknowledge him. “What are you doing here?”

“Workin’. You?” He offers her the second glass.

She glances at it and plucks it from his hand. Their fingers brush. “Working.”

Kraglin grins. “Nice dress.”

“They made you shower for this job?” Nebula takes a sip.

“Yep,” says Kraglin, unashamed. “Like it?”

She drags her eyes over him appraisingly. “Yes.”

He thinks his grin turns goofy, but he has a hard time caring when Nebula’s so close to him. She smells like fresh soap and metal, and he wants to peel her dress off her.

“Where is Gamora?” she asks, pinning him with a stare. 

Kraglin can't recall her saying who she was working for. “Couldn't make it. She sent Quill. Says he makes up for Drax.”

Nebula looks over to see Drax (still in a shirt and looking pissy) hovering behind Mantis while she talks with a man at the bar. “Mantis shouldn't be here.”

“She's got backup.”

Nebula gives him a withering look.

“Thought you was workin’ as a bodyguard,” he adds, nodding at the dress. “Don't seem practical.”

He expression hardens. “I'm here for show,” she sneers. “He wants to impress his rivals by having a daughter of Thanos here as a display of power.”

Kraglin's eyes trace her muscular calf through the slit in her dress. “Well, ya do look powerful.”

She looks at him sharply. “I hope you aren't here to steal his information, Kraglin,” she warns him in a low voice.

Good thing he learned to bluff from Yondu. “Information? What's it worth?”

“More than I'm being paid, but I couldn't contact the buyer,” Nebula grumbles.

Kraglin can feel a grin stretching his face. “That's a real shame,” he says.

She turns that intense stare on him. He keeps grinning at her until her expression cycles through outrage, annoyance, and finally exasperation. “Unbelievable,” she growls.

Kraglin risks stepping closer until their thighs almost brush. He knows how much she hates acting as hired muscle for people she despises. Yondu had always hated it too. “Gamora’d be awful happy t’ see you,” he murmurs. It ain't quite his bedroom voice, but it's close. “C’mon,” he whispers, leaning in so his lips barely brush her ear. “You know we'll cut ya in.”

Nebula doesn't move away. Instead she tilts her chin up. “If I betray them now, these syndicates will want me dead.” 

The puffs of her breath tickle the tattoo behind his ear and make him shiver. “Guess they'd better get in line,” he says, giddy. They're so close he can feel how warm she is, and he really wants to run his hands over all the skin she's got on display.

He's not sure whether it's organic or synthetic, but he figures that's part of the fun. Kraglin likes to live dangerously, so he reaches up slowly and curls a hand around Nebula’s hip.

Naturally that's when Rocket crashes through the ceiling in a blaze of gunfire.

\---

“You idiots! I'll never be able to work for them again!” 

“Nice dress,” Peter comments as they break atmo and steer the _Milano_ back toward the Quadrant.

Nebula snarls at him. 

“We honestly didn't know you would be here,” Gamora tells her sincerely. “I don't like working against you.”

Nebula grunts. “I should have known. No one would invite Quill to a party just for the pleasure of his company.”

“Hey!” Peter's indignant protest is drowned out by Rocket and Drax's laughter. Kraglin himself snickers.

Gamora just rolls her eyes. “Well, since you helped us escape, we'll cut you in.”

“I want an equal share,” says Nebula immediately.

“What? No way.” Peter shoots her a glare. “An equal share for standing around flirting with Kraglin? I don't think so.” 

He sounds pissier than normal, and Kraglin ain't sure why. Then he notices the brief betrayed look Peter aims at him and kicks himself.

“I seem to remember shooting the man who had a gun aimed at your head,” Nebula points out.

“That hardly counts! Rocket was on that.”

“I was, but she got there first,” Rocket chimes in.

“I am Groot.”

“No, you don't get a cut! You didn't do anything.”

“I am Groot!”

Nebula gives Kraglin a long suffering look that he completely sympathizes with.

\---

Since Nebula’s ship got left behind during their half-assed escape, she goes with Mantis and Gamora to get clothes and other necessities. Kraglin watches her stride off, eyes greedily following the curve of her spine, before he sighs and runs a hand over his face.

 _Darlin’,_ echoes Yondu through his head, _you gotta tell ‘im._ He sounds uncharacteristically gentle.

Kraglin nods and makes his way to the bridge, where Peter's alone. The kid’s fiddling with the Zune, and Kraglin vividly remembers Yondu doing the same thing while they laid in bed, earbuds shared between them as they listened. 

He swallows the lump in his throat and plops down in the other pilot’s seat. 

Peter looks at him, then away. “So,” he says airily. “You an’ Nebula, huh?”

There's a brittleness to his voice that Kraglin don't like. He's not sure what to say, so he just nods and looks at the stars.

“That's cool,” Peter continues, nodding. “She's pretty cool, I guess. For someone who shot Yondu in the head and tried to kill Gamora.”

“Li’l Quill,” says Kraglin, and the sound of Pete’s childhood nickname shuts him up. He turns to look at Kraglin with a wounded expression.

“It hasn't even been a year, man,” he says in a raw voice.

Kraglin's shit at talking about feelings. In the thirty years he was with Yondu, he thinks maybe they admitted once that they loved each other. It was understood without having to say anything. But Quill’s always been like this. He needs to hear the words, so Kraglin takes a deep breath and finds them.

“Ya wanna know how I finally got good with the arrow?”

From Peter's blank look, Kraglin thinks he didn't pick the right words. He tries again. “It was her. We was surrounded by Kree soldiers an’ they shocked her with somethin’. I saw it, an’ somethin’ clicked. I could _hear_ the Cap’n in my head tellin’ me I needed to quit thinkin’. Said he don't use his head t’ fly the arrow an’ I shouldn't neither.”

Peter's staring at him now. His eyes are bigger than they were the first time he'd been allowed in the cockpit of an M-ship. “That's what he said to _me_ on Ego’s planet,” he whispers.

Kraglin nods and taps the arrow. “Cap’n always was a stubborn fuck,” he says with a watery smile. 

Peter looks like he's one sappy song lyric from crying. “You're telling me part of him is still around? Like for real? Can he hear me? Can I talk to him?”

_Tell him he better not start bawlin’._

Kraglin snorts.

“What?” Peter leans forward eagerly. “Oh my God, that's why your fin lights up! What did he say?”

“He said you better not cry.” Kraglin grins. 

“Oh my God.” Peter shakes his head. His face falls and he says, timid, “he knows I love him, right? He knows I forgive him for everything...and I think he was a pretty cool dad.”

Kraglin closes his eyes, torn between wanting to cry himself and laughing out loud at the flustered protests he can feel from Yondu. “He'd argue about bein’ a good dad, but he knows how ya feel,” he says finally.

“No arguing. I'm the one that gets to decide if he was a good dad or not, and I say he was.” Peter swallows and looks out at the stars again. “Thanks for telling me.”

Kraglin nods. “He wanted you to know. An’ you oughtta quit bein’ weird about me an’ Nebula,” he adds sternly. He gets to his feet and ruffles Peter's hair, a little rougher than he needs to. Kid made him talk about feelings, after all. “Don't you think he'd make it real obvious if he didn't like it?”

“Ow.” Peter scoots away, smoothing his hair back into place. He looks suitably sheepish. “Well, it's different now that I know he doesn't care,” he mumbles.

Kraglin rolls his eyes. “You're a pain in the ass, Pete,” he tells the kid fondly.

\---

Nebula’s waiting outside his door when he finally gets there, still wearing that dress. She's got her arms around a bundle of sleep clothes and a toothbrush. 

“Mantis offered to share her room,” she says before he can greet her. “I refused.”

Well, shit. Here she comes, ready or not. Kraglin chuckles in spite of himself. “Come on in. Sorry ‘bout the mess. Wasn't expectin’ company.”

He goes in first, strategically kicking his pile of dirty socks under the bed. Nebula’s huff tells him she saw anyway.

“I've seen your room before,” she points out.

“Don't hurt to make a good impression.” He sits down to pull off his shoes. “You can put your stuff on the chair if ya want.”

Nebula deposits her sleep clothes and straightens up. She squares her shoulders like she's going into battle and reaches behind herself for the clasp that keeps her dress up.

“Wait.” Kraglin swallows, watching her carefully. He's got one shoe still in his hand, and he drops it, frowning down at the hole in his sock. 

He kicks himself when he looks back up and sees her shoulders hunched. Her hand jerks away from the clasp like it burned her. Yondu's angry buzz in his brain makes him wince.

_Don't you scare her off! That girl's got more guts ‘n I did when we got started._

Kraglin smiles in spite of himself; Yondu had blown hot and cold for months at the beginning, dragging Kraglin on solo missions where they could tangle together in seedy hotels or the bunk on an M-ship, and then ignoring him completely while they were on the bridge, only to pull him into supply closets and greedily blow him after shifts. He'd been terrified of vulnerability, a nasty leftover from his time as a slave that he'd never shaken off.

Given what he knows about Nebula, he thinks her coming to him like this might be the bravest act he's ever seen.

“C’mere,” he says gently, kicking off his other shoe and reaching out a hand. 

Nebula stares at it warily, but she takes it, just like she did back on that Kree outpost. It's warm, humming faintly as her fingers flex.

Kraglin slowly reels her in until she's standing between his thighs, looking down at him with a blank expression. He squeezes her hand a little and meets her eyes.

“You ever done this before?” he asks.

Her shoulders hunch again. “When would I have had the opportunity for sex?” she asks harshly. 

Kraglin resists a smile; she doesn't know how much she reminds him of Yondu, with her defensive snarling. “Didn't wanna assume.” 

She's so nervous, all coiled tension and wary eyes, but she's still here. Kraglin remembers that feeling, although his first time was with a nice hooker who showed him how to please a girl even after he came in his pants. He wonders how much Nebula knows, whether she's touched herself, what makes her feel good. 

He figures asking will just piss her off, so he shifts his grip to her wrist and raises her hand to his mouth. When her brows furrow he meets her eyes and licks her palm. She tastes like a sexbot, but the way her eyes widen and go dark is more rewarding than any fuck he could buy on Contraxia.

Her fingers flex, just a twitch, and he turns his head to suck two of them into his mouth. Nebula’s lips part, but all she does is breathe shakily. Her gaze is locked on his mouth, which is a nice ego boost. She makes him feel sexy, and Kraglin thinks he might love her for it. He grazes his teeth over the pads of her fingers and relishes the hitch in her breathing.

This is the first time Kraglin's taken anyone's virginity, but he figures the trick is getting Nebula more horny than nervous. He knows she's sensitive about all her cybernetics, so he's in no hurry to get her undressed. As much as he likes the idea of spreading her out like a feast, he wants her eager. That's gonna take some time.

He lewdly slurps at her fingers, pulling off and running his tongue up the length of them. It's a dirty move, right out of a porno, and he watches her eyes as he swallows her fingers again.

Nebula hesitantly brings her free hand up to card through the short hair at the top of his head, and he lets his eyes fall shut as he leans into it.

He likes her hand on him, and he releases her fingers as he slowly puts his arms around her to pull her closer. She doesn't resist, so he slides his fingers over the bare skin of her back like he's been dying to do. It's smooth, and a different texture than the synthskin on her hands. He can feel her quivering under his touch and it bolsters his confidence. 

“Been thinkin’ about this for awhile,” he tells her, dipping his finger down under the back of her dress. It grazes the top of her ass crack, making her jump a little. He gives her a little smile when she scowls at him. Figures the new sensations would irritate her; she's used to knowing her own body.

“I thought you were supposed to kiss me first,” Nebula mutters. 

“Ain't really any rules,” Kraglin says. “But if you wanna be kissed...”

He's not expecting her to push him onto his back and crawl aboard, but he thinks he should've. He blinks up at her for the split second before she mashes their mouths together.

Kraglin's used to rough kissing. Yondu's teeth snagged his lip so often that he's got a scar at the corner of his mouth. Nebula’s determined grind against his teeth might just break his jaw though.

He ducks her next attempt and kisses her jaw, feeling a weird contrast of metal and synthskin under his lips. He likes it, so he follows the line of her jaw to the tender spot just behind her ear. 

Nebula has cute ears. It's a weird thing to notice, but he does. They're dainty and small, and they seem out of place on such a fearsome woman. He runs his lips over the shell of one ear and feels her shudder. 

“We were supposed to be kissing,” she says, her husky voice going even lower. 

“Got distracted,” Kraglin whispers, nipping her earlobe. “That feel good?”

She shudders again. “Yes. Kiss me now.”

Fearing for his already endangered teeth, Kraglin cups her face in his hands before he goes in. Her lips are softer than he'd have guessed, and while the upper lip is flesh, the lower has the firm feel of synthskin. He tugs it gently with his teeth, and swipes his tongue across her mouth when she gasps. 

Nebula makes a little startled noise at that, and it shoots straight to Kraglin's dick. He arches his hips instinctively, finding a nice spot against her thigh to grind against. 

She freezes, and Kraglin spares half a second to kick himself for humping her leg before she attacks his mouth again, this time with tongue.

He's glad he still has his hands on her face to hold her back a little; this wouldn't be the first time his nose has been broken, but repeats don't improve his appearance any. Kraglin smooths a hand around the back of her head, cradling the base of her skull, and pets her cheek with the other as he kisses her. Nebula’s a fast learner, so it doesn't take her long to figure out he likes her mouth open so he can fuck his tongue in there, tasting and exploring.

She's moaning into his mouth now, and he really needs to stop grinding on her leg or this is gonna look more like his first time than hers. He won't do that to her. Girl like Nebula deserves a spectacular first fuck. He stills his hips with effort, sucking in a breath through his nose and getting a good hit of her scent.

“Why did you stop?” Nebula growls at him, already moving to mouth at the tattoos down his neck. “I liked that.”

Well then. “Didn't wanna end things before they got good,” he admits.

She peers at him, looking deadly and adorable at the same time. “That's fair.” And she reaches back for the clasp on her dress again. 

He doesn't stop her, and as she sits up, the front falls to her waist. She's got some brutal scarring along her right side, and the arm where it attaches to her shoulder looks rough and uneven. But her breasts are still smooth blue skin, and warm when Kraglin cups them in his hands, thumbs tracing over her nipples. They're small, perfect for a handful, and she pushes her chest into his hands, so he keeps going. 

Nebula stares down at him, eyes wide and dark. Her throat bobs as she swallows, her breath coming fast now. Kraglin takes a risk and pinches her nipple between his fingers, and she snarls.

He jerks his hands away, holding them up where she can see them. It gets him a frown.

“Not so hard,” she tells him imperiously.

“Okay.” He figures it makes sense, for a girl who's had nothing but violence in her life to want something gentle. Yondu never had, but then Kraglin suspects Yondu's introduction to sex was about as bad as the rest of his early life. He never asked, and he still doesn't want to know if he's right. Anyway, he likes to think they made up for bad beginnings.

 _You shouldn't be thinkin’ about me when ya have a woman like her in bed with ya, Kraglin,_ comes Yondu's voice, but he sounds flattered.

Kraglin smiles fondly, both at Nebula and his captain, and sits up. It jostles her in his lap a little, slotting their crotches together. 

Nebula eyes him critically and gives an experimental roll of her hips. It pulls a high, needy sound from Kraglin's throat that makes him flush an unattractive purple.

Her eyes gleam as she recognizes a weakness, and she does it again. He has to bite his lip hard to keep from going off right here. The deadliest woman in the galaxy, grinding on his dick like she's getting paid for it. He's gonna cream his fucking pants if she keeps this up.

“Goddammit woman,” he hisses. “I weren't kidding about this bein’ over too soon.” He grabs her hips and angles his crotch away from hers. “I'm tryin’ to be a gentleman here!”

That earns him a raspy laugh and a filthy kiss that's more tongue than anything. “I don't want you to be a gentleman,” she whispers hotly against his mouth.

Kraglin grins. “Yeah, ya do. Lemme show you why.” 

She looks intrigued as he gestures for her to get on her back. It takes a few minutes for them to shuffle around; Nebula’s dress slithers to the floor and Kraglin's stupid party clothes end up in the corner, but eventually he's down to his (thankfully clean and new) underwear and she's laying naked across his bed.

It's a pretty sight, and so is the blush that spreads down her neck when he tells her so. He expected her to be more self conscious about her body, but he's pleased to see that she finally looks relaxed.

Kraglin stretches out next to her, their legs tangling on the narrow bed. He knows he's not much to look at, all skinny long limbs and narrow chest with too much hair, but Nebula seems to like what she sees.

She reaches out to run curious fingers over his tattoos. They go all down his neck and arm to his wrist, the writing stylized almost past the point of recognition. 

Not that Kraglin could actually read Centaurian anyway.

“I don't recognize this writing,” she murmurs, turning to tongue at the letters over his collarbone. Kraglin tips his head back and lets his eyelids droop.

“Don't figure you would.”

She glances at him, tilting her head curiously. But she doesn't ask, and that alone makes Kraglin want to tell her.

“Got ‘em when I was about eighteen,” he says. “Shitty tattoo place out at the edge of Nova space. Artist prob’ly did a crap job writin’ ‘em.”

She traces the one closest to his ear, looking at it reverently. “I like them.”

“I noticed.” He caresses his hand over her hip. “They're Zatoan.”

Her head shoots up to pin him with one of her intense stares. Kraglin meets her eyes and gives her a small smile. 

After a moment she nods, and the next time she presses her lips to a letter it's with a respect that makes him think he might just love her.

_Can't believe she likes those ugly fuckin’ tattoos o’ yers._

Kraglin snickers. “Cap’n hated ‘em,” he tells Nebula. “Gave me shit about ‘em for years. Said they were sentimental an’ ugly, but I know he thought it was sweet.”

_Did not._

If Nebula thinks it's weird that he's reminiscing about someone else while he's in bed with her, she doesn't say anything. She just smirks a little and then goes right for his dick, palming him over his underwear.

Kraglin meeps and fights not to rock into her touch. He holds himself still and lets her map the shape of his cock with her small, warm hand.

“I was s’posed to be touchin’ you,” he manages to whine.

“So do it,” she tells him, fishing down the front of his underwear to wrap a hand around him. 

Kraglin groans and pets her hip before snaking his hand between her thighs. She's so hot here, and dripping wet, and her hand stills on his cock as he dances his fingers across her.

When he flicks his eyes to her face, she's wearing an almost comical expression of shocked pleasure. Her mouth is open in a perfect ‘o’ and her eyelids have fluttered half shut. Kraglin kisses her open mouth and runs his thumb over her clit. It makes her tremble, and he suddenly feels like the most powerful man in the universe. 

“Like this?” he whispers, circling the callused pad of his thumb over her in a pattern. He keeps his touches light, the way she liked on her nipples.

Nebula nods frantically, spreading her legs to give him better access. When Kraglin slips a finger into her, she moans and shudders, urging him to get to fingering her properly. 

He's more than happy to oblige, loving the slick, filthy noises as he fucks into her slippery cunt. He keeps his thumb circling her clit, speeding it up until she's growling, biting his shoulder to hold in the higher, desperate sounds she keeps making. She's completely forgotten about touching his dick, but Kraglin don't mind.

She clamps around his fingers like a vice when she comes, jerking like a live wire. Kraglin eases up on her clit, not wanting to make her too sensitive, and kisses her scarred shoulder. 

“Told ya you'd like it,” he says with a grin.

Nebula lays there, legs spread, chest heaving, and stares at him blankly. “Fuck,” she breathes. “I've never felt that before.”

Kraglin slides his fingers out of her and pops them in his mouth, humming a little at the tart taste of her. “As good as you were hopin’?”

She nods, staring at his mouth. “That's disgusting,” she tells him, but she don't look revolted.

He laughs. “Guess you don't want me lickin’ between your legs then.”

“I never said that!”

He kisses her then, pressing his tongue into her mouth to make her taste herself. She moans and rolls onto him, sucking on his tongue and lining up their crotches. Kraglin can feel a wet smear against his dick.

“I don't have any barriers,” he whispers.

“I don't have a uterus,” she shoots back.

Kraglin blinks and decides that's not something he wants to go into right now. Truth is, he's not even sure if Xandarians and Luphomoids are compatible that way. “I was thinkin’ more about disease.”

Nebula narrows her eyes dangerously. “If you have an infection and you didn't warn me...”

“Nope! No infection! Nothin’ like that,” he says hastily. “It's just a good idea. You know. Since ya don't always know where the other person's been.”

“I know where you've been,” she tells him, ducking her head to bite the tattoo on his shoulder. “Did you plan to have sex with other people besides me?”

This feels like a trap, but the truth is he doesn't want anyone besides her. “Not really. Bot hookers maybe, if you're gone too long.”

“Then there's no problem, is there?” She wraps a hand around his cock and eases it inside her.

Kraglin bites his lip and mentally disassembles a blaster to keep from coming right there. Her cunt’s right around him, hot and wet and soft as velvet, and she's making soft, pleased sounds as she seats herself.

She knows what she wants, Nebula, and she starts moving as soon as she's comfortable. Kraglin keeps his hands on her waist, holding on as she rides him like she stole him. He fucks up into her once he figures out her rhythm; they move together here like they do in a fight, easy and natural. If Kraglin closes his eyes, he can sense her through the implant, but he prefers to keep looking at Nebula.

_Can't blame ya, she's gorgeous. Prettier ‘n I ever was._

Kraglin shakes his head, panting as he works to keep up with Nebula’s increasingly frantic pace. She keeps angling her hips down to get some friction on her clit, growling in frustration as she bounces on his dick. It's hot as hell, and also sorta cute.

He might be an adrenaline junkie, it occurs to him for not the first time. There aren't a lot of circumstances in which anyone should think Nebula’s cute, but somehow he keeps finding them.

“Need a hand?” he asks her with a grin.

She glares at him until he relents and goes for her clit again. That gets her moving faster, jaw clenching as she tries to hold back her moans.

“We gotta do this off ship sometime,” Kraglin grits out. He's getting so close. “Take ya to a hotel or somethin’, get you alone so you can make all the noise ya want.” 

Nebula actually moans at that, throwing her head back. “With a bigger bed,” she agrees breathlessly.

“Hell yeah.” Kraglin groans, determined to wait until she's come again. “Lay you out on a big bed, kiss you all over. Sounds like a good time.”

She shudders. “Yes,” she whispers, scratching her fingers gently through his chest hair. “I have so many things I want to try.”

So does Kraglin, but for now he keeps at her clit until she comes again, shoving herself down on his cock with a choked-off yowl. It don't take him long to go off after that.

Nebula rolls off him and lays on her back, having hardly broken a sweat. Kraglin isn't so graceful; he's breathing hard, and sweat clings to his skin. He scratches at his chest hair and reaches for a tissue to clean himself up with.

Nebula just blinks when he offers her a fresh one, and then looks down between her legs and wipes herself off.

“Where do I dispose of this?” she asks when she's done. 

Kraglin looks around guiltily and tosses his tissue cleanly at the far corner of the room. He didn't exactly plan on having company tonight.

Nebula wrinkles her nose but throws her tissue with neat precision in the same direction. “You really are filthy,” she tells him.

“Oh, I know.” He tucks an arm behind his head and shrugs.

She shakes her head but still lays down next to him and sidles up against his side. Kraglin smiles and wraps an arm around her shoulders. After a few minutes, she tucks her head under his chin.

Kraglin lets himself drift, pleasantly sleepy like he always gets after a good fuck. Nebula’s breaths puff against his neck, soft and regular, lulling him to sleep.

\---

He wakes up alone, and spends exactly six seconds being disappointed about it. Would've been nice to have another go first thing, and he sorta misses Nebula’s pretty eyes when they're soft and sleepy. But he's never been the type to mope, so he gets up with a yawn and grabs his clothes. If she's still on the ship she'll be at breakfast with the others.

He really hopes she's still on the ship. 

_Ya never did like wakin’ up alone,_ Yondu observes too fucking sagely for a dead man whose mate just started sleeping with someone new. Kraglin tells him so.

_Pfff. You was always the jealous one, not me._

Kraglin grunts and zips up his jumpsuit. Arrow securely in its holster, he makes his way to the mess after a brief detour to take a piss.

“--and you hold it like this, if you want to disembowel someone.” That's Nebula’s voice he can hear, and something inside him relaxes at the sound.

“Drax holds it differently when he shows me,” Mantis says curiously. “Why does he hold it differently?”

“There are many styles of knife fighting. It's not so strange that we learned different techniques.” 

Kraglin stops outside the door, just listening. Nebula doesn't usually stay long, and he can't really begrudge Mantis time with her. She don't get to talk to other girls much, after all. Besides, it's sweet how patient Nebula is with her.

Yondu's voice in the back of his head reminds him that he was never that understanding when Yondu was with Pete. Kraglin rubs a hand over his hair, right against the edge of the implant, and wonders when the hell he grew up. 

“Are you going to stay long?” asks Mantis, hopeful.

“I'll stay until your next landing,” Nebula tells her. “Long enough to get a ship and some supplies.”

“Not long, then.” Mantis sighs. “I thought having sex with Kraglin might make you want to stay.”

“Why would having sex make me deviate from my mission?”

“In all the Xandarian dramas we watch, people stay together when they have sex,” Mantis explains. 

“In the dramas you watch, parents love their children and stories end happily,” Nebula responds grimly. “Life isn't like that.”

“Oh. I had hoped it was, in some places,” says Mantis, sounding sad.

“It might be, in some places,” Nebula says after a moment. “But not here.”

“Well, you can wear my clothes for as long as you are here,” Mantis declares, and Kraglin figures it's safe to go in the mess now. He nods to them as he slouches in.

“Mornin’,” he greets both of them, but he's looking at Nebula.

She has a cup of caffeinated something in her hands; her eyes are warmer than usual when they meet his.

“We were just talking about you,” Mantis tells him brightly. “I've never had sex, so Nebula was telling me about it.”

Kraglin freezes with a dish in his hand. “Uhhh...”

Nebula closes her eyes like she's in pain. “Mantis. That was supposed to be private.”

“I didn't think it was a secret, though.” She looks between them. “I told Gamora you were staying in Kraglin's room and Rocket said you'd be having sex. Only he used a different term for it.”

Kraglin gives up and sits down with some toasted bread. His dignity’s taken worse hits. “Ain't a big deal, li’l Bug,” he reassures Mantis. “Hard t’ keep secrets around here anyway.”

She beams at him and Kraglin can't even bring himself to be annoyed.

\---

It's a week and a half until they reach a planet that's got the stuff Nebula needs to head off on her own again, and they spend most of it in Kraglin's bed.

Nebula hit the ground running after that first time; now she's determined to make up for lost time and get off as much and as creatively as possible. They've already fucked in all the positions Kraglin can think of. Took some convincing to get her on her hands and knees, but now it's one of her favorites. Kraglin likes it because he can kiss the back of her neck and reach around to play with her clit. And while it might've been a long time since Kraglin's gone down on anyone with a cunt, he still knows his way around well enough to make her moan when she finally lets him eat her out. She's addicted to his mouth now, grabbing him by the ears and pushing his head down when she wants him. He don't mind.

He's pretty sure he's gonna have to open the porthole in his room to air out the sex fug once they land. Rocket makes weird faces whenever he sits too close to either of them at meal times, and Gamora will roll her eyes and remark how nice it is they came out to join everyone. Pete just avoids eye contact, same as he used to when he'd burst into Yondu's cabin without knocking and catch sight of a blue moon for his trouble.

At least Groot never makes things weird. The little twig even offers Nebula a flower when he's in a good mood, although it's smaller than the ones Mantis has tucked around her antennae. Nebula stares at it until her sister reaches over and tucks it neatly behind her ear. It stays there until later, when Kraglin dislodges it with a particularly hard thrust. 

She makes him stop so they can put it on the desk for safekeeping.

And afterward, when she winds her arms around his shoulders and presses kisses to the side of his head, Kraglin wonders how bad he's gonna miss her when she leaves.

He can't fool himself; he knows she won't stay. It's his own damn fault he wants her around so bad. 

“Are you falling asleep already?” she whispers next to his ear.

“Nah.” He twists his neck to look at her. “Why?”

“I was thinking...” Nebula trails off for a moment and looks out the porthole. “Gamora says killing Thanos might not be possible.”

She's coming around to a point, he can tell. He waits for her to reach it.

“She asked me to stay again. Earlier today.”

“She jus’ wants ya to know you got a place here,” he says without offering his own thoughts on the matter.

Nebula sits up, and Kraglin misses her warmth against his side. “She's trying to wear me down. I think she puts Mantis up to spending time with me.”

“Mantis spends time with you ‘cause she worships the ground ya walk on,” Kraglin points out. “Nobody's gotta put anyone up t’ spending time with ya.”

“Do you want me to stay?” she asks, suddenly angry. “Everyone else keeps hounding me about how I don't have to go, but you never say anything. Why?”

Kraglin stares at her. She's glaring at him, hotly furious, but that ain't what pulls him up short. 

He's been trying so hard not to push her. Never occurred to him she might've wanted him to.

After a tense second with him gawping at her uselessly, she turns away. “I know I'm not him,” she rasps.

Kraglin feels suddenly like he's been sucker punched. They'd been fine a minute ago. “What the fuck,” he breathes. “Nebula, what the hell’s goin’ on in your head?” 

Nebula’s bowed profile is all he can see, the straight line of her nose and her cute little ears lined in starlight from the porthole. She doesn't answer for a long minute. “No one ever asked me what I wanted for myself.”

Kraglin blinks. “Okay?”

“You were the first person who ever talked to me like I was someone with desires of my own.” She turns to glare at him, chin raised defiantly.

“What, ya mean what I said about the hat?” Kraglin can barely remember the details of that conversation. He'd been so sick with what he'd done, the betrayal and the hopelessness on Yondu's face and the screams of all his friends as they'd been dragged to their deaths. 

She nods. 

He sits there, still blinking. “That's why I ain't buggin’ you about staying,” he says finally, and he's encouraged when she turns back to him. “That's your choice.”

“But do you want me to?” Her eyes are so intense.

“‘Course I do,” he tells her honestly. He's not sure what the hell’s going through her mind, but he can assure her of this much, at least. “I jus’ figured you'd stay if ya wanted to, an’ if you didn't there was no point tryin’ to change your mind.”

Her shoulders relax a little, but she still looks troubled. Kraglin wishes he knew what the fuck is happening right now. He's horribly confused. Carefully, he reaches out to touch the back of her hand. She tenses up, but doesn't move to stop him from slotting their fingers together. 

“I like you an awful lot,” he says softly.

She looks at him, wide eyed and more vulnerable than a woman that deadly has any right to look. He squeezes her hand.

“I dunno what you been worryin’ about, but you don't gotta worry about that. I figured you wouldn't appreciate me askin’ for more than you wanted outta this.”

“I don't know what I want out of this. I've never done this,” she whispers.

He shifts closer and presses a kiss to her forehead. “Ain't no rules. It's what we wanna make it.” She's tense when he wraps his arms around her, so he kisses her forehead again. Then, when she looks up at him, her mouth. 

She kisses him back hard enough to sting his lips, and her hands leave bruises all over his shoulders, but Kraglin's dealt with worse. He wonders how long she's been torn up about staying or going. It's fine when they're in here, fucking and hanging out, but he's already noticed her getting snippy with Gamora, and she's never been impressed with Pete. She's not looking to stay, and if she did it'd be for his sake.

Kraglin might be the jealous type, but he tries not to be selfish. 

\---

 _Ya did the right thing, Kraggles,_ Yondu tells him as he watches Nebula’s ship pull away and speed off toward the jump point.

“She'll be back,” he says softly.

“I know she will.” Kraglin jumps a little and turns to see Gamora watching the space where Nebula’s ship used to be with a sad little smile. She cuts her eyes over to him. “Sorry if I startled you.”

“‘S fine,” he mutters, rubbing the edge of the implant awkwardly. 

Gamora steps up beside him, eyes still on the view. “She's never stayed that long before,” she says, like Kraglin hasn't been keeping track.

“Needs her space, Nebula.” Kraglin nods sagely. He shoots Gamora a sideways look. “I reckon she likes ya, though.”

She huffs a laugh; Kraglin notices, for the first time, that she and Nebula laugh the same way. Quiet, like they're scared someone will hear. “I'm not the only one she likes,” she says with a smirk.

Kraglin shrugs, awkward. “You here t’ make sure I treat her right?” he asks.

“No.” Gamora shakes her head. “You're an honorable man.” She smiles faintly. “It's just nice, I suppose. To have someone else here who misses her when she's gone.”

Kraglin blinks at her. “Well, I do at that,” he settles on saying. “Besides, I'm proud of her. Takes guts t’ go back an’ fight someone who hurt ya so bad. Not everybody can do that.” Yondu never entered Kree space in all their years together. Kraglin can't judge anyone on how they survive the bad shit life hands out.

Gamora studies him for a long moment. “I'm not sure she can win this fight,” she confesses.

Kraglin's jaw tightens. He can't think about that. 

“I know she needs to do this, but I just...” She looks away.

“She ain't dead yet,” Kraglin says, harsher than he means to. He sees Gamora’s head snap around to stare at him. “An’ you can't stop her if she does get herself killed. You said it yourself--she's gotta do this. So jus’ love her while she's here.”

Gamora swallows. “I do.”

Kraglin stares out at the stars and nods. “Then you're doin’ fine.” He gives her a smile and reaches down to run his hand lovingly over the arrow.

Gamora smiles back. “You know, there's something else I wanted to ask you, since we're here.”

“Yeah?”

She wrinkles her nose. “Can you _please_ take a shower? You reek like a brothel.”


End file.
